PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
September 2, 2021

Contact: media@napawf.org

Houston, TX – In a midnight ruling last night, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a petition to block enforcement of the most restrictive and punitive abortion ban in the nation.

The Texas law, or SB8, took effect on September 1, bans all abortions after 6 weeks when most people don’t know they are pregnant. The law also gives private citizens the right to sue anyone who helps someone get access to an abortion in Texas, not just health care providers, but neighbors, family members, and even strangers.

“This law disproportionately impacts communities of color, especially black communities in Texas. It also impacts Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). During a time of increasing anti-Asian American hate and harassment, particularly against Asian American and Pacific Islander women, the Texas law creates fear and confusion by intimidating people out of getting the abortion care they need,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF). “It further stigmatizes abortion in our community and puts abortion care out of reach for those who are unable or don’t have the wherewithal to travel out of state. This is especially dreadful for undocumented community members who may not have health insurance or depend on in-language support.”

There are approximately 1.5 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders living in Texas. Of this, 12% lack health insurance and 11% live in poverty. According to research from AAPI Data, as of 2017, 17% or nearly 150,000 AAPIs living in Texas are undocumented. The most common countries of origin for AAPI undocumented individuals in Texas are India, China, the Philippines, South Korea, and Vietnam.

“Asian American and Pacific Islander women are angry and tired of the long-standing efforts to restrict reproductive and abortion access,” said Choimorrow. “NAPAWF will continue fighting until all AAPI women have complete access to the health care they need.”

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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build collective power so that all AAPI women and girls can have full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.